Adopt plain packaging of tobacco products to minimise use, says WHO

Even though tobacco kills 150 persons every hour in South East Asia, ordinary men and women are yet to fully realise the deadly nature of the habit, the World Health Organisation has lamented on Monday.

“Tobacco leads to the death of 13 lakh people across the South East Asia region every year — the equivalent of 150 fatalities per hour, but the message that tobacco kills isn’t getting through,” said Poonam Khetrapal Singh, World Health Organisation (WHO) regional director for the South East Asia.

One of the ways to disrupt the psychology of tobacco consumption was to make the plain packaging of tobacco products mandatory, she suggested.

Matter of packaging
Plain or standardised packaging means branding and promotional information is removed from the tobacco packs, which carry graphic health warnings, dull colour combinations, a brand name and a product and manufacturer’s name in standardised font.

“The aesthetic impact of plain packaging is significant, with studies showing that it has tangible effect on the desirability of tobacco products,” she said on the World No Tobacco Day.

In March, a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the Supreme Court on the implementation of plain-packaging in the Indian market, on which the apex court sought the Central government's response. The PIL was filed by an Allahabad High Court advocate, who was a victim of tobacco.

“Despite high prevalence of tobacco use and over one million tobacco related deaths yearly in India and despite clear recommendation of the Allahabad High Court to implement plain packaging of cigarette and other tobacco products, the Centre has taken no steps to discourage attractive packaging of tobacco products and implement plain packaging,” the PIL said.

The PIL contended that in India tobacco products come with a “very attractive packaging to entice youths to take up tobacco consumption and such packaging also draws attention away from health warning and make them redundant.”

As smoking levels decline in high-income countries tobacco companies are increasingly relying on market presence in the developing economies, including those of the South-East Asia Region, said the WHO regional director.